Hat-conformer



(No Model.)

No. 560,191. Patented May 19, 1896.

Wain a as E. s Ir' flea-Luz:

ANDREW B GRAMAM. PHUTUUTNOVVWASHINGIUN D c,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDGAR H. BYERLY, OF KNIGHTSTO\VN, INDIANA.

HAT-CONFORM ER.

SPECIFICATION iorming part of Letters Patent No. 560,191, dated May 19,1896.

Application filed January 30, 1896. Serial No. 577,375. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that 1, EDGAR H. BYERLY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Knightstown, in the county of Henry and State of Indiana,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hat-Conformers; andI do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

No two men have heads shaped exactly alike, and the difference in shapeis so considerable that it is difficult to find a hat in a merchantsstock of goods that will fit any ones head; but by warming the sizing ina hat it can be readily made to assume a new shape, which will beretained when the hat is cooled again. If a form set to the shape of amans head could be had, and the heated hat stretched on this form andleft to cool, the hat would fit the shape of the head.

The object of this invention is to provide an adjustable form that canhe set to the shape of any individuals head; that can be readilyinserted into a hat, and as the sizing is heated press the material ofthe hat into shape to fit the proposed head. 7

The object, further, is to provide adevice that can be readilyunderstood and easily operated and that will be simple and cheap.

I accomplish the objects of the invention by the mechanism illustratedin the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a view in perspectiveof my hatconformer set ready to receive a hat to be changed in shape;and Fig. 2 is a plan view of same, showing all of the slides set butone.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts throughout both viewsof the drawings.

The frame of my conformer consists of the outside band A and the insideband A, which are either round or oval in shape, and the bars B joiningthe two bands together. Preferably the inner band and the radial barswill be formed in one integral piece, and the outside band will besecured to the ends of the bars B by means of the screws 1?, as shown inthe drawings, which pass through the band A into threaded holes in theends of the bars 13.

Mounted on the bars B, which are preferably eight in number, are theinside spiral springs C, the slides D next to the springs O, the stops Enext to the slides, and the conical spiral springs F. The bars willpreferably be square in cross-section and the openin gs in the slide Dwill fit the shape of the bars so as to prevent any rotary movement ofthe said slides. Depending from the slides D are the blades D, andextending upwardly from the slides are the blades D The stops E areprovided with openings to fit the shape of the bars B on which theyslide, and are provided with the set-screws e, whereby the stops can befastened at any desired place on the bar.

The operation of the device is as follows: The frame is set upon thehead of the person who is to be fitted with a hat. The stops E are allfree to move longitudinally of the bars and are forced inwardly,together with the slides D, by the springs F, which are more powerful intheir action than the inside springs O. The blades D are pressed firmlyagainst the head, and the whole number of blades will together form anoutline of the head to which they are fitted, The number of blades willpreferably be eight, but the number might be more or less withoutdeparting from the spirit of this invention. The position of the slidesis fixed by tightening up the set-screws c on the stops E, which checksthe further action of the outside springs F. The inside springs C willforce the slides against the stops, but by compressing the springs theslides, with their attached blades,can be moved in toward the insidering. This construction enables the upper blades D to be easily insertedinside of a hat, and when the hat is warmed over a lamp or otherwiseheated the springs G will force the blades out against the stops, andcarrying the sides of the hat out with them will give the hat a new anddesirable shape conforming to the head of the proposed wearer. Theblades D and D are integral with the slides D, and the two blades ofeach slide are vertically alined, but in order to get a broader bearingagainst the band of the hat the upper blades D will be expanded intoplates, as shown in Fig. 1. These plates, which are opposite the frontand back of the hat and at the middle of the two sides, are much widerthan the remaining four plates, which are distributed between the saidwide ones. I have found this to give better results than when all of theblades are wide or all are narrow. I prefer to use the conical springs Fbecause they will telescope and allow closer compression than where thespirals are uniform in diameter; but this is only a preferable form ofspring and not an imperative form.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and wishto secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The combination with a frame having radial bars, of slides mounted onsaid bars and having both upwardly and downwardly projected blades,substantially as shown, springs to force the slides out,stron gersprings to force the slides in and stops arranged and constructedsubstantially as described and operating as and for the purposesspecified.

2. A hat-conformer having the inside band A and the radial arms Bintegral therewith, the outside band A removably secured to the ends ofthe bars, stops D having blades D EDGAR II. BYERLY. lVitnesses:

Josnrn A. MINTURN, F. W. Wonnwnn.

